In 2022, about 2.58 million illegal aliens were apprehended in the United States. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when there were around 1.87 million illegal aliens apprehended nationwide. Apprehensions refer to Border Patrol apprehensions and ICE administrative arrests.
The latest Irregular migration statistics are now incorporated into the Immigration system statistics.
Return to Immigration system statistics quarterly release collection page.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/681c6215155568d3da1d2a0c/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-summary-dec-2024.ods">Irregular migration to the UK detailed dataset, year ending December 2024 (ODS, 33 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67bf172fa0f0c95a498d1fb0/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-sep-2024.ods">Irregular migration to the UK summary tables, year ending September 2024 (ODS, 31.7 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66c47cdfb75776507ecdf45c/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-jun-2024.ods">Irregular migration to the UK summary tables, year ending June 2024 (ODS, 30.9 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6645e961bd01f5ed32793d0a/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-mar-2024.ods">Irregular migration to the UK summary tables, year ending March 2024 (ODS, 26.7 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d640c92ab2b300117596b2/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-dec-2023.ods">Irregular migration to the UK summary tables, year ending December 2023 (ODS, 25.9 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65575cab046ed400148b9ad2/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-september-2023.ods">Irregular migration to the UK data tables, year ending September 2023 (ODS, 24.2 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64e46cd63309b700121c9c07/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-june-2023.ods">Irregular migration to the UK data tables, year ending June 2023 (ODS, 27.6 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64edc92ada8451000d632328/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-march-2023.ods">Irregular migration to the UK data tables, year ending March 2023 (ODS, 29.8 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64edc8ea13ae1500116e2f52/irregular-migration-to-the-UK-summary-tables-year-ending-December-2022.ods">Irregular migration to the UK data tables, year ending December 2022 (ODS
The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around 11 million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over two million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over 2.2 million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.
Immigration and political division
Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
In 2022, an estimated 10.99 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States. This is an increase from about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants who lived in the United States in 1990.
In January 2022, it was estimated that about 1.85 million male illegal immigrants living in the United States were aged between 35 and 44 years old. In that same year, it was estimated that 1.52 million female illegal immigrants living in the U.S. were between 35 and 44 years old.
List of the data tables as part of the Immigration System Statistics Home Office release. Summary and detailed data tables covering the immigration system, including out-of-country and in-country visas, asylum, detention, and returns.
If you have any feedback, please email MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
The Microsoft Excel .xlsx files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of these documents in a more accessible format, please email MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk
Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2025
Immigration system statistics quarterly release
Immigration system statistics user guide
Publishing detailed data tables in migration statistics
Policy and legislative changes affecting migration to the UK: timeline
Immigration statistics data archives
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68258d71aa3556876875ec80/passenger-arrivals-summary-mar-2025-tables.xlsx">Passenger arrivals summary tables, year ending March 2025 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 66.5 KB)
‘Passengers refused entry at the border summary tables’ and ‘Passengers refused entry at the border detailed datasets’ have been discontinued. The latest published versions of these tables are from February 2025 and are available in the ‘Passenger refusals – release discontinued’ section. A similar data series, ‘Refused entry at port and subsequently departed’, is available within the Returns detailed and summary tables.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/681e406753add7d476d8187f/electronic-travel-authorisation-datasets-mar-2025.xlsx">Electronic travel authorisation detailed datasets, year ending March 2025 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 56.7 KB)
ETA_D01: Applications for electronic travel authorisations, by nationality
ETA_D02: Outcomes of applications for electronic travel authorisations, by nationality
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68247953b296b83ad5262ed7/visas-summary-mar-2025-tables.xlsx">Entry clearance visas summary tables, year ending March 2025 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 113 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/682c4241010c5c28d1c7e820/entry-clearance-visa-outcomes-datasets-mar-2025.xlsx">Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending March 2025 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 29.1 MB)
Vis_D01: Entry clearance visa applications, by nationality and visa type
Vis_D02: Outcomes of entry clearance visa applications, by nationality, visa type, and outcome
Additional dat
This study was conducted to examine whether a rising crime rate in El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California in 1986 could be attributed to, among other factors, the influx of undocumented aliens. Variables include level of involvement of undocumented aliens in serious felony arrests in San Diego and El Paso Counties, the outcome of serious felony arrest cases involving undocumented persons compared to others arrested for similar offenses, the impact of arrests of undocumented aliens on the criminal justice system in terms of workload and cost, the extent that criminal justice agencies coordinate their efforts to apprehend and process undocumented aliens who have committed serious crimes in San Diego and El Paso counties, and how differences in agency objectives impede or enhance coordination. Data are also provided on how many undocumented persons were arrested/convicted for repeat offense in these counties and which type of policies or procedures could be implemented in criminal justice agencies to address the issue of crimes committed by undocumented aliens. Data were collected in the two cities with focus on serious felony offenses. The collection includes sociodemographic characteristics, citizenship status, current arrest, case disposition, and prior criminal history with additional data from San Diego to compute the costs involving undocumented aliens.
Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023: data tables
This release presents immigration statistics from Home Office administrative sources, covering the period up to the end of March 2023. It includes data on the topics of:
User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics
Policy and legislative changes affecting migration to the UK: timeline
Developments in migration statistics
Publishing detailed datasets in Immigration statistics
A range of key input and impact indicators are currently published by the Home Office on the Migration transparency data webpage.
If you have feedback or questions, our email address is MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
According to the source, the number of immigrants that arrived in Spain illegally in 2018 amounted to approximately 64,300, representing the peak of the period under consideration. In 2024, over 63,970 irregular immigrants arrived at the Mediterranean country.
Immigration statistics, year ending March 2022: data tables
This release presents immigration statistics from Home Office administrative sources, covering the period up to the end of March 2022. It includes data on the topics of:
User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics
Policy and legislative changes affecting migration to the UK: timeline
Developments in migration statistics
Publishing detailed datasets in Immigration statistics
A range of key input and impact indicators are currently published by the Home Office on the Migration transparency data webpage.
If you have feedback or questions, our email address is MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
In 2022, the greatest number of illegal aliens returned in the United States were from the Philippines, with 39,891 illegal aliens returned. India, Canada, China, and Russia rounded out the top five in that year.
Immigration system statistics quarterly release.
The Microsoft Excel .xlsx files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of these documents in a more accessible format, please email migrationstatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk
Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6825e438a60aeba5ab34e046/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-mar-2025.xlsx">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending March 2025 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 279 KB)
Reg_01: Immigration groups, by Region and Devolved Administration
Reg_02: Immigration groups, by Local Authority
Please note that the totals across all pathways and per capita percentages for City of London and Isles of Scilly do not include Homes for Ukraine arrivals due to suppression, in line with published Homes for Ukraine figures.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67bc89984ad141d90835347b/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-dec-2024.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending December 2024 (ODS, 263 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/675c7e1a98302e574b91539f/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-sep-24.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending September 2024 (ODS, 262 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf74a8dcb0757928e5bd4c/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-jun-24.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending June 2024 (ODS, 263 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66c31766b75776507ecdf3a1/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-mar-24-third-edition.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending March 2024 (third edition) (ODS, 91.4 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ddd9ebf1cab3001afc4795/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-dec-2023.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending December 2023 (ODS, 91.6 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ddda05cf7eb10011f57fbd/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-sep-2023.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending September 2023 (ODS, 91.7 KB)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/655b39ce544aea000dfb301b/regional-and-local-authority-dataset-jun-2023.ods">Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending June 2023 (ODS
A ‘small boat’ is one of a number of vessels used by individuals who cross the English Channel, with the aim of gaining entry to the UK without a visa or permission to enter – either directly by landing in the UK or having been intercepted at sea by the authorities and brought ashore. The most common small vessels detected making these types of crossings are rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), dinghies and kayaks.
Migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats - monthly data
In 2023 there were over 350,000 illegal border crossing detecting on the borders of the European Union, the most crossings recorded since 2017 when there were over 204,000. Illegal border crossings peaked in 2015 at the height of the European migrant crisis, when over 1.8 million illegal border crossing were detected.
In 2022, the greatest number of illegal aliens apprehended in the United States were from Mexico, with 836,844 illegal aliens apprehended. Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras, and Venezuela rounded out the top five in that year.
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
The following table is imported from the 2019 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics under the Department of Homeland Security:
The 2019 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics is a compendium of tables that provide data on foreign nationals who are granted lawful permanent residence (i.e., immigrants who receive a “green card”), admitted as temporary nonimmigrants, granted asylum or refugee status, or are naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration enforcement actions, including apprehensions and arrests, removals, and returns.
Table 39. Aliens Removed or Returned: Fiscal Years 1892 to 2019 (https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2019/table39)
The data was collected to observe trends in history reflecting the number of immigrants deported - more specifically removed or returned.
As of January 2022, it was estimated that about 4.81 million illegal immigrants from Mexico were living in the United States. It was also estimated that 750,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala were living in the United States.
Data on small boat arrivals for the last 7 days is updated every day.
The time series for small boat arrivals is updated weekly on Friday. The time series goes back to 2018.
The figures for French prevention are updated weekly every Friday. French prevention activity includes individuals who are prevented from departing France, those who return to France and finds of maritime equipment.
The data published here is provisional and subject to change, including reduction. Finalised data on small boat crossings since 2018 is published in the quarterly Immigration system statistics under the topic “How many people come to the UK irregularly”.
If you have any questions about the data, please contact migrationstatsenquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/01/31/latest-statement-in-response-to-small-boat-crossings/" class="govuk-link">Home Office press statement on small boat crossings
For press enquiries, please contact the newsdesk on 0300 123 3535.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/#copyright-public-domainhttps://fred.stlouisfed.org/legal/#copyright-public-domain
Graph and download economic data for Employment Level - Foreign Born (LNU02073395) from Jan 2007 to May 2025 about foreign, household survey, employment, and USA.
https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/33022/termshttps://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/33022/terms
Transatlantic Trends: Immigration, 2010 examined attitudes and policy preferences related to immigration in Europe, Canada, and the United States. The survey concentrated on the most important issues facing the respondent's country, general perceptions of immigration and immigrants, perceptions of legal and illegal immigrants, the impact of immigration on society, conditions for citizenship, policies on legal and illegal immigration, access to social benefits, government evaluation, decision-making level, socio-political rights, consequences of an aging society, immigration and integration, economic evaluation, vote intention, and political party identification. Demographic and other background information includes gender, age, age when stopped full-time education and stage at which full-time education was completed, religious affiliation, ethnicity, citizenship, origin of birth (personal and parental), type of locality, region of residence, and language of interview.
In 2022, about 2.58 million illegal aliens were apprehended in the United States. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when there were around 1.87 million illegal aliens apprehended nationwide. Apprehensions refer to Border Patrol apprehensions and ICE administrative arrests.